4 thinkers, books, and ideas connected to this field.
Sam Raimi's 2004 Spider-Man sequel — widely considered the best superhero film ever made by many critics — notable for Peter Parker's identity crisis (wanting to give up being Spider-Man) and Alfred Molina's Doctor Octopus.
1989 superhero film directed by Tim Burton — starring Michael Keaton as Batman and Jack Nicholson as the Joker — the film that defined the dark, expressionistic aesthetic of the modern superhero blockbuster — the first major studio superhero film of the blockbuster era.
2019 psychological thriller directed by Todd Phillips — starring Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck — an origin story for the DC villain Joker — depicting the descent of a mentally ill, socially marginalized man into nihilistic violence — the highest-grossing R-rated film at the time of release.
2017 superhero film directed by Patty Jenkins — starring Gal Gadot as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman — the first major female-led, female-directed superhero blockbuster — set in World War I — the highest-grossing film by a female director at the time of release.